Karnataka Polls Schedule Live: Hello and welcome to Karnataka election schedule live blog. Follow this space for latest updates on the Karnataka election schedule. The Election Commission of India announced today that it will release the poll schedule for elections to the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly, the term of which will end on May 24.

The poll panel has issued an invite to announce the election dates at 11:30 am today.

The incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party, looking for a second term in the state, has currently 119 MLAs in the Assembly while Congress has 75 and ally Janata Dal (Secular) has 28 legislators.

As the poll dates draw close, all the three political parties began the spate of allegations and counter-allegations with the Congress and JD(S) trying to corner the government on the issue of corruption.

Meanwhile, the BJP, led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is aiming to return to power in the state and has been stressing on the Kannadiga issue and the recent decision to grant reservation to Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities by scrapping a religion-based reservation for the Muslim commuity.

Union Minister Amit Shah has also been making visits to the poll-bound state, also described by the BJP as "gateway to South".

On Monday, Shah had chaired a meeting with state BJP core committee and election management committee in Bengaluru.

On Saturday, the Karnataka Congress released the first list of 124 candidates for the Karnataka Assembly election. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president DK Shivakumar will be contesting from Kanakapura constituency. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge will be contesting from Chitapur (SC) constituency.

Amid expectations that former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will contest from Varuna, the leader was allotted the same constituency by the Congress high command. "There is one opinion at home that I should be contesting from Varuna, so I have said (to the party's central leadership), clear Varuna, let's see," he has said earlier as per a report by PTI.

12:10 PM (IST) • 29 Mar 2023